From School Library Journal
Grade 5–8—Twelve-year-old Dylan is miserable—her mother has died, her father is working all the time, her beloved grandfather is getting sick, grown-ups are giving her pity looks, the rich boy at the stables where she works for lessons is being a jerk, and, to top it all off, her mother's dog is disappearing at the same time there are reports of dogs attacking livestock. She is totally in denial about her mother's death and the possibility that Dead End could be a killer. Luckily, Dylan has a true friend in her longtime buddy Cub, who has a more realistic approach to life. The author keeps readers in suspense about Dead End's fate until the very end, which drives the novel, although they will figure out that he is the culprit long before Dylan will even entertain the idea. Dylan and Cub are well-developed characters, and youngsters will come to care about and understand them. The author belabors her message of the need to face reality, and the book drags in parts because of it, but it could spark discussion with children dealing with difficult situations.—
Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
In her raging grief, 12-year-old Dylan (“Dill”) refuses to attend her mother’s funeral and turns away the sympathy from everyone in her Virginia farming community. She blames her dad for taking Mom to the hospital, and he responds by keeping his distance. Then her beloved dog, Dead End, takes off. Is he searching for Mom? Has he become one of the pack that the sheriff has ordered to be shot for killing the farmers’ sheep? Rooted in the daily sounds, sights, and smells of farm life, this lengthy first novel seems sometimes too detailed, but its obsessive repetition ably serves to dramatize Dill’s anguish: “Mom once told me” is always in Dill’s head and heart. Along with the emotional content comes the mystery of Dead End, with tension that continues to rise as Dill tries to determine if her dog is a killer, and, if so, how to save him. Grades 5-8. --Hazel Rochman
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
